Pale Coins Review
Lukas Irzl’s Pale Coins combines classic action RPG gameplay and world design with compelling soulslike systems.
Pale Coins. Credit: Lukas Irzl
Pale Coins from solo developer Lukas Irzl is a handcrafted pixel art action RPG that captures the magic of classic, Zelda-like top-down adventures while adding modern soulslike elements. The game is an old-school fantasy experience set in an open world, offering challenging combat and a wealth of loot, while priding itself on taking a no-hand-holding approach.
The game’s straightforward fantasy narrative has you venture into the kingdom of Grenmark in search of the fabled Champion's Coin, one of the titular Pale Coins—magical MacGuffins in the tradition of The Lord of the Rings One Ring. The story unfolds through branching questlines and encounters with NPCs scattered across the land.
Pale Coins. Credit: Lukas Irzl
Combat combines top-down Zelda-style weapon swinging with soulslike elements that demand more care. Attacking wildly leaves you vulnerable, so positioning and approach are crucial. I discovered that it was often easy to cheese enemies by positioning yourself well and taking advantage of the directionality of their attacks; most enemies are manageable unless you’re overwhelmed by numbers that don’t allow you to stay in a protected spot. Boss fights can be trickier, but once you figure out the boss’s movement and attack range limitations, the battles are surmountable. Swinging your weapon doesn’t consume stamina, which also reduces the difficulty of combat substantially; this is an interesting departure from typical soulslike combat design.
Pale Coins. Credit: Lukas Irzl
The equipment system offers satisfying depth, with a variety of available weapon types and armors that encourage experimentation with different approaches to combat. Equipment can grant powerful abilities, and there’s a socket system that allows you to attach new skills. I preferred using melee weapons and had a lot of fun with that, especially with the heavier options. Mana limits made using magic feel more restrictive.
Pale Coins. Credit: Lukas Irzl
One irritation that made me want to throw my controller through my screen was that Pale Coins allowed me to leave a room in the middle of a boss battle, which resets it. I was having some trouble with a boss that had two phases, and just as I was about to finally beat him, I accidentally dodged out of the exit of the arena. I felt like the game wasted my time.
Pale Coins. Credit: Lukas Irzl
The pixel art graphics are artfully restrained, carrying just enough detail to make environments feel rich while preserving readability. They have just the right balance of clean, black pixel outlines that make important elements pop with shading that prevents the world from looking too flat. The top-down perspective works well for the combat system, giving you clear sightlines for positioning, though at times I couldn’t fit through gaps that I thought were passable. The blank-faced character sprites lack an expressive quality; the level of detail in the character portraits during dialogue made me wish the sprites had more personality that better fit the character designs.
Pale Coins. Credit: Lukas Irzl
Pale Coins is a solid throwback that successfully blends old-school, top-down action RPG gameplay with soulslike elements and modern design sensibilities. The challenging combat, deep customization, and beautiful pixel art create an engaging experience, while the no-hand-holding approach adds a magical feeling of discovery to exploration that’s often missing in modern games. The game is a great value at $9.99 with its 6-10 hours of gameplay.
Pale Coins is available now on Steam.
Overall Score: 7/10
Played on: Steam Deck
